


Shadows Settle

by limitlist



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, Fire Lord Zuko, Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-05
Updated: 2020-06-05
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:20:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 612
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24548272
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/limitlist/pseuds/limitlist
Summary: Sokka comforts Zuko after a rough week being the Fire Lord.
Relationships: Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 20
Kudos: 328





	Shadows Settle

**Author's Note:**

> quick note: i wrote this as a self-comfort in the middle of the night yesterday, it’s unbeta-ed. cross posted on my tumblr. title comes from youth by daughter, but that song doesn’t have anything to do with the story. enjoy :)

The fires had been extinguished for the night.

Zuko slipped out of bed, not wanting to disturb Sokka. It’d been a rough week, figuring out what do to with some unrest in the outer islands. They’d all been going full steam for days. Sokka more than anyone had been trying to convince the other advisors to resolve the issue peacefully, and he deserved his rest.

As he wandered the halls, pretending not to notice the guard trailing him, Zuko attempted to order his thoughts. Easier said than done. His mind was a constant loop of information, half of which was most likely outdated already, he couldn’t always tell when the officers were embellishing the truth or flat out lying in their reports, and the strain of wrangling the war-hungry advisors into a relatively peaceful solution made his head ache.

Even feeling his own pain felt like a betrayal to his people. Out there in the real world, outside the palace, people were suffering. People who could never recover from the losses of war, people whose voices weren’t being heard, people who were desperate for change, his people.

Zuko refocused on the present, finding himself on a balcony overlooking the caldera. In some places, some fires were still lit, but the stars shone brightly above it all. Wispy clouds drifted overhead, while the full moon peeked through every so often.

Even lost in his thoughts, Zuko didn’t miss the soft patter of footsteps approaching behind him. When Sokka’s arms came around his torso, he simply shifted to allow it.

Sokka rested his chin on his lover’s shoulder. He didn’t say anything, just stood there embracing Zuko. They looked out over their city. For a few moments, they let the tranquility sit.

“Couldn’t sleep?” Sokka asked softly.

Zuko shivered at the breath ghosting over his cheek, then sighed. “How could I?”

The silence hung, both men deep in their own thoughts. As much as he wished to, Sokka knew there was nothing he could say to make Zuko feel better. While his people suffered, the Fire Lord appeared uncaring. His people didn’t see the hard work Zuko poured in, night and day, to implement change.

Zuko knew he was wallowing, but what else was there to do? Despite all his efforts to change things, they had only incremental progress each day. It seemed like they would never reach the end of it.

In the distance, an owl-cat hooted. A child’s laughter drifted past the palace walls up to the balcony where Sokka hugged Zuko. The wind brushed against the Fire Lord’s hair, pushing his flyaways back and making his eyes water.

At the first sniffle, Sokka buried his head in Zuko’s neck. Sokka gave him another minute, and then carefully turned him around to give him a real hug. His heart broke as Zuko muffled frustrated sobs into Sokka’s nightshirt. “Honey, it’s okay.” Sokka rubbed the back of Zuko’s neck softly. “It’s okay to be upset. It’s okay to be frustrated. Shh, sweetheart.”

They stayed like that for who knows how long, drawing comfort from each other in the cool night breeze. Eventually, Zuko’s sniffles stopped, and his breathing slowed. Sokka pulled back to make eye contact.

“Better now?” As blue eyes met gold, Zuko flushed and gave a slight nod. Sokka smiled the soft smile reserved for when Zuko was being adorable. (It got used fairly often.) “C’mon, we should get some sleep. Still work to do tomorrow.”

Zuko withheld a small groan at the thought of another long, hard day tomorrow. They shuffled back to their room together, settling in for the short hours before Agni rose and the process started again.

**Author's Note:**

> if y’all enjoyed, you can find me on tumblr @limit-list :)


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